Face transplant donor’s mom: It was ‘difficult decision’

When their son, Joshua Aversano, was hit by a van and killed, Randy and Gwen Aversano made the difficult choice to donate Joshua’s face to a man who suffered a disfiguring accident. They talk about their decision, which Randy says was a way to make “something good” happen out of tragedy. NBC’s Ann Curry reports.

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>>transplant in history. it happened in baltimore 15 months ago and for the first time the families and doctor involved are sharing their remarkable story with nbc's
ann curry
.

>> reporter: this is a story of two young men, one
richard norris
hid from the world for 15 years after a disfiguring shotgun accident. the other,
joshua
was just emerging into the world, signing up to be a marine wanting to serve.

>>he just had a very loving spirit about him.

>>but randy and gwen say he was just walking across a
main road
when he was hit by a van.

>>do you have the location of the emergency?

>>joshua
was air lifted to the shock
trauma center
, the same hospital where
richard
was a patient.

>>the one thing i prayed is please don't let him die.

>> reporter: the doctors told them
joshua
's
brain injury
was too see revere. after they considered with drawing
life support
, they got a request to donate
joshua
's organs. they said yes. then they were asked to donate his face to
richard
.

>>we felt like this was something he would want to do. out of this tragedy something good could happen.

>>it is one thing to donate your child's organs, but it is an entirely different thing to donate your child's face.

>>it was difficult decision. i know i did tell randy at the time, if i ever saw someone walking around that had
joshua
's face, the first thing i would do is give him a big hug.

>>what made him perfect for trying to create the kind of science needed.

>>that was the same type of injury our soldiers were experiences in iraq. the result of the ied blast coming from the ground up.

>>the 36 hour surgery, the most extensive
face transplant
in history would give
richard
a new life and yield findings that would advance transplant medicine. it also gave a mother who lost a son, a chance to see his face again when she met
richard
.

>>and did you reach out and hug him?

>>yes, when he came in, yes i did.

>>were you hugging your son.

>>yes, i feel like that part of him was there saying that he was okay.

>>and you can see more on this story tonight on
ann curry
reports, a face in the crowd. that's at
10:00
, 9:00
central time
right here on nbc. incredible story.